Batman has Joker. Superman has Lex Luthor. And for The Flash – there is Captain Cold. It may be the villain known as ‘Reverse-Flash’ often pointed to as the speedster’s main enemy, but the producers of The CW’s Flash appear to be saving him for some time in the future. For now, it’s Wentworth Miller’s Captain Cold who will pose an immediate threat to Barry Allen (Grant Gustin), and the first images of him in costume have now been released.


Speculation has ran high since Miller was cast in the role about exactly which version of the character would be adapted; would it be the original incarnation of Leonard Snart a.k.a. Captain Cold, who uses a ‘cold gun’ to bring atoms to absolute zero – rendering even The Flash’s abilities moot. Or would it be that seen in DC’s New 52, with his cold powers a gift not unlike Barry’s, granted in the S.T.A.R. Labs disaster?

The first images have now been revealed courtesy of executive producer Geoff Johns, proving that comic book fans are in store for an extremely faithful comic adaptation, at least where the most beloved characters are concerned.

Loading
View on Instagram
Captain Cold won’t be making his arrival to Central City for a few more weeks, but the role he will play in shaping The Flash’s enemies is clear. Executive producer Andrew Kreisberg has already confirmed that Snart will be beaten by The Flash to begin with, later joining forces with Heat Wave (Dominic Purcell) to find strength in numbers (the philosophy largely to credit for the lasting existence of the organized Rogues).

Speaking recently with MTV, Johns offered further confirmation that Leonard Snart wouldn’t be yet another ‘metahuman’ villain for The flash to dispatch on a week-to-week basis, but a clever criminal who simply reacts to the new world that Barry is a part of:

“He kind of just is this guy who pulls jobs very carefully, and suddenly there’s something else in the city and he has to change his game up. He has to figure out how to deal with his new threat in Central City—[this threat] to him and his way of life. And so, it’s all about him evolving and surviving in the new world order, and with that guns aren’t going to do it, so he has to have something a little stronger.”

Loading
View on Instagram
That description sounds extremely close to the character’s lasting persona in DC Comics, and given Geoff Johns’ hand in returning Barry Allen to the top tier of the publisher’s heroes, it’s no surprise. However large or influential a role Miller’s Cold plays in the show’s first season, fans will be happy to hear that the producers aren’t interested in establishing a clear formula just yet. And while Arrow may be casting off superpowers for now, Captain Cold’s cold gun looks like just the first super-criminal in a long, long line.

What do you think of Miller’s look? Does it seem like a blend between comic book costume and real world practicality? Are you skeptical about introducing such an outlandish villain, or do you have faith in the Prison Break star?